Nothing works for me quite as well as the "finger-lickin' good" technique. But that may go back to the days when I was a kid about 6 or 7 and had a neighbor who sucked her thumb. Her mom would paint it with some hot stuff...not sure what it was now, maybe strong cinnamon oil?...to stop her from sucking it. I tried some of it on my thumb and boy, that was hot! I liked it, of course. Deb in Houston